Ann by Oldestman
by jaytoyz
Summary: As I like to believe Tom would say...'Read it or don't, I just wrote it...now I'll just wait for the estrogen brigade to voice their disapproval'...
1. Chapter 1

**P/N: 11/6/12 **Because I can, here's something else from Tom. If you haven't yet, send him an email at briggen69 at gmail dot com - JT

**ANN by Oldestman**

**Chapter 1**

Set sometime in early Season 3

3am

Alley between 8th Av & Lexington

Castle beat Beckett to the crime scene, an unusual first. Things had been rocky between them, strained and tenuous. He hoped maybe things would be less stressful but they weren't. She still held him at arm's length, still 'rewarded' him with her presence in his life outside of the precinct on occasion but those treats were few and far between.

She blew off the last movie night at the last minute with a text: 'something came up, sorry' and that something had a name: Josh. It was always going to be Josh. He just couldn't accept it. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was supposed to get the girl. That's how he would have written it.

Kate drove up as close to the yellow police tape as possible, not wanting to get too wet in the cool spring rain that was more mist than anything. She'd pulled a zippered hoodie on over her bare skin and the zipper caught about two-thirds of the way up, unnoticed. Castle was probably there already and she hated being late.

Castle squatted down beside Lanie as she pointed out some things that he hadn't been able to see from his usual vantage and she'd called him over. At his age, kneeling would have been easier but the puddles and blood kept him on his feet, his knees reminding him every second of how much they ached in his current position.

He balanced a take-out carrier with two coffees that he'd picked up on the way to the crime scene on one knee and it was a Herculean task just to keep his balance.

"Rick, see this from my perspective. This is the process of observation and assimilation you asked me about. I know you want Lauren to have the right methodology when she and Nikki are examining a body, right?"

He nodded, forgetting his aching knees. Lanie's tidbits were rarely shared and he wished he'd brought his little notebook so that he could write her dialogue and comments but he'd forgotten in the half-sleeping preparations to leave his loft.

"What have you got for me, Lanie?" She squatted down and shined her maglight on the body of the young woman, partially clothed and still clutching a purse although the contents were strewn around her to make it look like a mugging gone wrong.

Castle looked up and was going to say 'hello' but the words died in his mouth. From this angle he could see – love bites, hickies, sucker bites, whatever the current term was, - on her neck and across her collarbone and down across the top of her breasts. He knew when Lanie stopped her recitation and just stared at Beckett that she'd seen them, too.

Castle stood up, knees popping like some old man's and turned, but Lanie's hand was faster, grabbing his pinkie and getting his attention. She looked at him, her face flushed with pity and concern, and then looked at Beckett and then at the body.

"I was telling Rick that from the first observation…"

He didn't hear whatever else Lanie said. Beckett smelled of sex. She _reeked_ of it. She smelled like _him_ and Rick Castle had had enough.

"Lanie, I'm heading back. This is just the usual 'pop and drop' and I got a breakfast meeting," he glanced at his watch, "in three hours. I'll catch up with you at the Precinct."

He walked around the corner onto Lexington Av and tossed the coffee carrier into a wire trash receptacle.

"God damn her!" He pivoted and threw a punch into a granite panel on the façade of the store on the corner. He almost vomited from the pain that blossomed from his knuckles and fingers.

_That was a damned stupid thing to do, Richard. Damned stupid. _ He heard his mother's voice chastising him and he had to agree. He'd been doing a lot of stupid things over the past few years because of Detective Katherine Beckett, NYPD. It was time he smartened up.

Castle squeezed the wrist of his injured hand and then waved down a cab that was slowly driving down the avenue attracted by the flashing royal blue lights on the patrol cars arrayed around the alley entrance.

"Manhattan South Trauma. I think I broke my damned hand." He flopped back onto the seat and rested the elbow of his injured hand on his knee. What a mess.

Lanie finished the professional portion of the evening's entertainment and then confronted Beckett.

"Detective Beckett, you might want to zipper up that hoodie over your boobs and go home and shower before heading into the Precinct. You stink of sex and it's no wonder Rick 'excused' himself. And put concealer on those love bites before you come to work."

"Um, sorry, Lanie, but Josh came by last night and we…"

"Talk to the hand, Kate. What you and Motorcycle Boy do is your business. It's your crime scene now. I'm taking the body to the morgue."

"You think Castle got an eyeful? Is that why he left?"

"Well, that 'breakfast meeting' was a lame excuse even for Castle and considering he dumped those two cups of coffee into the trash bin up on the corner, yeah, an eyeful and a belly full. You are a piece of work, Kate Beckett."

"He's had breakfast meetings before and still come to the crime scene. He's a homicide junkie, you know that."

"It ain't homicide he's addicted to." She turned away from her friend and caught up with the meat wagon. She had a long day ahead of her.

Manhattan South Trauma Center

He couldn't fill out his insurance and health forms because of his hand so an orderly helped him do it. The woman was more interested in keeping his blood from dripping all over her forms than anything.

"Mr. Castle, just have a seat out in the waiting area and a nurse will be with you to start the exam." He found a seat in the third row of blue plastic chairs and leaned against the wall. He felt so damned stupid. He was nearly 42 years old and he still lashed out when he lost his temper.

He jerked from a light doze when he heard 'Richard Castle?' being called and he stood and walked toward the sound of the voice that called his name.

"That's me." The short nurse in dark blue scrubs looked like she stepped out of a film set. A stethoscope hung around her neck and her mousy blonde hair was done up in a loose bun that had loosened somewhat over the hours and now threatened to come undone. If there was a stereotypical 'ER nurse', this woman fit the ticket. Even in his haze of pain, Castle could tell that in the right light and with a full night's sleep she'd be a head-turner but now she just looked tired and worn.

"Okay, I see why you're here. From just a glance I'd say…self-inflicted, right? Have anger issues, Mr. Castle?" Her half-shell reading glasses perched on her pert little nose threatened to fall off when she leaned down to examine his hand more closely and he had the idiotic notion that he should push them back up for her with his index finger.

He hissed in pain when she straightened out his fingers and now he seriously considered busting up the other hand on her face.

"Sorry, but we're going to have to get them straightened out eventually. The doctor is tied up right this minute with an abdominal GSW, er, sorry that's a – "

"Gun Shot Wound, yeah, I know. Okay but can I sit down again? The hallway isn't my idea of an exam room." His tone was sharp and critical and she raised her eyes from his hand to his face but the biting retort died on her lips.

"Yeah, I guess you'd know all about that, right, Mr. Castle? I didn't recognize you at first. Let's get you up on the exam table and I'll see about rousing a resident from his nap to take care of the hand."

Rick sat back and then fished out his cell phone and sent a one-thumbed text message to Alexis about his breakfast meeting and that he'd see her after school. Then he sent a text to Gina telling her a sanitized version of 'Castle was an idiot' and told her he wouldn't be making any meetings today.

He got a call back almost immediately and the nurse walked in and gave him the stink eye about his cell but didn't say anything until he was off the phone.

"Girlfriend didn't sound too happy. This happen often?"

"Daughter, and yeah, she wasn't, but it's the last time. I may be old but I do still have the capacity to interpret data and come to conclusions – even if they don't meet my preconceived notions."

"Wow, all that at 5:20am? I'm impressed, Mr. Castle. Listen, the resident's finishing up some do-gooder-make-work and will be in shortly. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Not vending machine pee but nurses' coffee?"

"Oh, bless you…" He couldn't make out her name tag and she held it up for him to see.

"Ann, Ann Smith, Head Trauma Nurse. No problem. Just part of the Manhattan South Trauma Center Circle of Service."

"That's a stupid commercial, y'know."

"Yeah, and it's not like we have to troll for business or anything. Waiting room's never empty."

"Mr. Castle, you've fucked up your hand but good. I'd show you your x-ray but you wouldn't know what I was showin' you anyhow. Bottom line? A trip to dreamland and when you wake up, a monster cast on your hand with a tail that ends just south of the elbow and will be your new best friend for the next 6 weeks or so."

The resident was tired after 18 hours on and pulled no punches and couldn't have cared less about the Circle of Service Guarantee. Neither could Castle by that time.

"You're not going to keep me overnight, are you?"

"Got no room unless you code on the table or somethin'. You'll be out of here by 5pm, maybe earlier. Now, let Nurse Evil Ann handle getting you ready and then the Bone Man will fix you right up. He's pretty good, too, if he's sober and it's a Tuesday, so chances are he will be."

"But it's Thursday!" Castle was feeling the effects of the Vicodin Ann Smith had given him.

Rick pulled out his cell and called his mother to ask her to be at the loft when Alexis got home from school. Even at 17, he still worried about her and probably babied her too much but that was his main purpose in life, being Dad.

"Richard, do you even listen to anything I say? I told you I'd be in Toledo until Sunday. Honestly, Richard, either quit drinking so much or – "

"Forgot, okay? I'll call Gina to – " but he didn't finish the sentence.

"Gotta go, Mother. Send Alexis a text and tell her I'll be home later." He hung up and groaned. Nothing was going according to anything like a life plan.

"Trouble getting a baby sitter? Your daughter sounded pretty mature to me, Rick." They'd long since become 'Rick' and 'Ann' since she was his primary care giver.

"Nah but I don't like her coming into an empty place after school. She's 17 but she's my baby. It's just been us since she was 3."

"A best selling author and playboy who is also a single dad who still finds time to worry about his daughter. That's sweet, Rick. I'll bet she doesn't think so, though."

"Nope. Thinks since she's raised me to be the man I am today that she's more worldly and knowledgeable about things than her old man. She's probably right, too. Best damned kid on the planet. I know. I took a survey."

The Vicodin had loosened his tongue and pulled out his normal filters. Ann just laughed. He probably _was_ the world's best dad if she asked his daughter.

"What happened to Mrs. Castle?" Open mouth, insert foot.

"Which one? Alexis' birth mother found her new direction from her director's bed and then was cavalier enough to deny it even when it hit the scandal rags. She wanted her life on her terms and a husband and daughter weren't even mentioned in the fine print so I got a divorce and Alexis. Wife #2 was also my publisher and was proof that business and pleasure should never be mixed. Exit wife #2."

"Looking for #3 in all the wrong places?" She was keeping his mind occupied since she knew he was nervous but her curiosity got the better of her and she probed out of fan-girl interest.

"Not really. Thought things were heading that way with a woman I met but she's pretty much slammed the door on that one. I'm getting too old for it anyway. Leave the Great Stalk to the younger set."

"You're not that old, Rick. 40 is the new 30, haven't you read?" She chuckled. He wasn't too old. She was 33 but felt like 40 some mornings.

"It's not nice when a kid like you laughs at an old man like me. Hurts my feelings."

"I'm to be on the wrong side of 35 soon, Rick, and with this as a career, I'll age fast. Pretty soon I'll be stalking the Walking Dead in Geriatrics for dates."

They both laughed at that and then the 'Bone Guy' and his crew showed up and he was gone.

She was putting his personal belongings in a lockbox when his cell rang and she answered it without thinking.

"South Trauma, can I help you?" Conditioned response and she cringed. It was his phone and she had no right to answer it.

"South Trauma? Is this Castle's phone?"

"Yes. He's going into surgery right now and – "

"Surgery! What happened? How bad is it? I'll – I'll be right down." She heard the woman's voice continue talking to someone else in background as she apparently hung up her phone.

She heard 'Castle's at Manhattan South Trauma Center and is going into surgery! Do you two know anything about it?'

12th Precinct

"Castle's at Manhattan South Trauma Center and is going into surgery! Do you two know anything about it?"

"Nope. Thought he was in a breakfast meeting with his publisher, The Devourer of Flesh."

"I'm going down there. Keep working the mug shots and missing persons and see if we can come up with an ID. Esposito, go visit your favorite ME and bring her up to date on Castle and see if there's anything new on the body."

She was in the elevator before she realized that she was still wearing what she'd been at the crime scene. There just hadn't been time to change when things got to popping and a second unrelated body dropped.

'_I'll have to change before tonight anyway.'_

She tugged the zipper up and rummaged through her purse for something to cover the marks Josh had left on her neck and other places. They'd been making love when she'd gotten the 'body drop' call and he'd marked her, increasing her excitement and arousal and pushing her over the edge to her own orgasm. She hoped he cleaned up a little before he left for the hospital. She'd left marks of her own, too.

**P/N:2 ** If you haven't yet, send Tom an email if you've enjoyed any of his stories. You can hit him up at briggen69 at gmail dot com


	2. Chapter 2

**P/N: **Another chapter for all of you who like the way Oldestman has his way with a collection of scribbles. JT

Ann Chapter 2

'Evil Ann' glanced at her watch and then toward the double doors that led to the operating room. She filled out her paperwork and then checked the waiting room and 'she' was still there, drinking vending machine coffee and glaring at the world.

'She' was a pushy lady cop who'd come charging into her ER and began demanding the status of 'Richard Castle, he's my partner'. She showed the ER receptionist her badge as if it was the key to the city.

"Ma'am, Mr. Castle is in the operating room and according to the computer and his paperwork, he has no 'domestic partner' so I cannot share any more information with you." It was another fine example of the Circle of Service Guarantee.

"He's my shadow, my partner at the 12th Precinct. He left a crime scene earlier and when I called to check on him someone here answered his phone. Can you at least tell me the nature of his injury?"

Beckett was about ready to add a customer to the waiting area. All she wanted to know was what had happened. It was a 'medical' issue and might be a police one.

She checked her watch and grimaced. She had to get back to the precinct. She'd already received two texts, one from Esposito and the other from Lanie. Esposito's said simply 'You need to be here' while Lanie's was more pointed, 'Do you need me?'

Thinking back, she hadn't had a good reason to call him in the first place. Maybe it was the way he'd just excused himself and left the scene or maybe it was Lanie's 'belly full' comment but she had wanted to get some idea of his mood.

Ann heard the commotion behind the double doors and knew that the OR nurses were bringing Castle back to the recovery room where he'd remain until he was ready to be released to home care.

She filled out more forms and answered calls and assigned staff to various patients and then walked in to check on 'her' patient.

He looked fine but she wasn't satisfied and ran his vitals and impulsively brushed the hair from his forehead and made notes on his chart. It was a little before 8am and she checked her iphone for her morning text and there it was. Good. Another disaster avoided.

Ann was going off-shift after 12 hours on and hated leaving a patient in limbo but she was tired, had a ton of things to do before she could even think about bed and then had to be back here at 8pm for another round of saving idiots from themselves.

She wrote a quick note and stuffed it into the pocket of the shirt Rick had been wearing when he was admitted and then took it out and tore it up into tiny, tiny pieces.

She wrote another note on the back of her business card and stuffed it into his billfold and retrieved his personal items and clothing and put them back in recovery for him. She was a fatalist and if it was meant to be then it would be.

Ann glanced down the corridor and saw that the irritating lady cop was gone and smirked. _If he meant anything at all to her, she'd still be here._

One week later

"Dad, let me help you. You're going to have to get used to having a wrecking ball instead of a hand for a while. Every time you reach for something…you break it!" Alexis was using a dust pan to clean up the remains of a coffee mug her big lug of a father had knocked off the breakfast island and onto the tiled floor.

"It's hard to break 40 years of using my right hand, unsympathetic whelp. I can't type, I can't text, I can't wear half the clothes I normally do and – "

"I guess you'll have to be satisfied with sitting around in a wife-beater like Marlon Brando. You do have an electric razor, y'know? Maybe the nasty growth appeals to some but not to me. You look…scruffy, Dad, and it's not a good look on you."

"You're going to be late for your party, Pumpkin. Go. Just remember the rules and have a great time."

"Don't drink from an open container. Keep an eye on my beer and don't let anyone else handle it. Say 'No' and mean it. No dance clinches. No – on and on and on. Seriously, Dad, do you even remember what it was like to be 17?"

"Yes, and that's why…wait! 'Keep an eye on my BEER'?"

"Just checking to see if you were listening. You're supposed to be on pain killers and if I know you, you aren't, right? Take a chill-pill, Pops, and make it an early night. Seriously, I can hear you prowling around at night down here and it's creepy. If you're in pain, take a pill."

He wasn't in pain, not physically, anyways. He'd made a decision when he left the hospital and he'd been wrestling with it and boredom since he got home.

He wasn't going back there. Not ever again. He was done with it.

"Done with what, Dad?"

"Did I say that out loud? Um, done with the 12th and the whole shadow business. I have enough research and notes to write Nikki Heat until the cows come home. I need to be a writer, Lexie, not a 'pretenda-cop'. I just wish this damned cast would let me write."

"What's Beckett done this time, Dad? You didn't hurt your hand falling down a flight of stairs like you said. It's always _her_ that makes you crazy. Y'know what? I don't want to know. I'm just glad you've seen the light. Grams and I worry that every time you leave us, it might be for the last time. I'm happy you're going to write. It's what you do, Pops."

"Go, party, remember the rules. Be back by…"

He was talking to himself. Alexis could slip out of the apartment faster than the speed of light and when he said 'Go', she did.

"…by one…" He chuckled and then remembered that he was hungry and called for a pizza.

12th Precinct

Kate stared at the murder board but wasn't seeing it. Instead of a time line, witnesses and the vic, she kept seeing the look on Castle's face when he left the crime scene days earlier. It was a new 'look' for him, not one that she'd catalogued over the years. She couldn't put a name to it – she didn't want to. She wanted to flush it from her memory but she couldn't.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Lanie reminding her of the 'get together' at the Old Haunt. She was meeting the boys and Lanie for drinks. Josh would be dropping by to say 'hi' and then they were going out to dinner and then back to her place for some couples time. He was heading out for Africa or some other 3rd World shit hole to 'give something back' in a month or two and they wanted to spend time together as a couple. It's what he wanted. She wasn't certain what it was she wanted but he filled her evenings in more ways than one.

Beckett grabbed her phone, purse and jacket and headed out for an evening with her friends. She hoped that Lanie had pierced the veil of medical bureaucracy and found out why Castle had been at the ER. He wasn't answering texts or voicemails from any of them and she was worried – but not enough to go to the loft and check on him. She wasn't _that_ worried. He was a big boy, after all.

Old Haunt

"Has anyone heard from Castle?" Lanie hadn't forgotten the look on his face. Her call to Manhattan Trauma South had run smack into the Circle of Service runaround and not even 'I'm the Medical Examiner' could breach their patient confidentiality walls.

"Nah. He don't text, he don't send emails, he don't take my calls or answer my voicemails. What did Beckett do to him this time?" Esposito knew that when Mom and Dad fought, it was best for the kids to be elsewhere although Beckett hadn't mentioned any disagreements.

"What about Kevin? He always talks to Kevin even when he and Beckett are in a pissin' match."

"Nope. Same as me. It doesn't seem to bother Beckett so I'm not going to let it bother me. He's a big boy. He's probably running from the Devourer of Flesh as Kevin calls to his ex-wife/publisher.

"He's not running this time. He walked away this time and I don't think we'll be seeing him again like before. Maybe if he's arrested for stealing another police horse or something. It's not our problem. It's hers if she owns up to it but you know our Beckett, deny, deny, deny." Lanie was stirring her drink with a swizzle stick, concentrating on the ice cubes swirling around.

"Deny what, Lanie?" Lanie hadn't noticed Javi's frantic hand signals and Kate walked up to the booth and slid in beside her.

"Castle. You deny everything Castle-related. It's your thing. It's what you do and I'm okay with it. It was exhausting watching the frantic ballet you two would dance. I'm glad it's finally over and done with."

"Lanie, I have a boyfriend and – "

"Kate, I know. Like I said, I'm glad it's over and done with. Let's change the subject. What's new in your world, Kate? Josh home for a while or – "

"He'll be here in a few minutes. He's got some pictures from South Sudan that are incredible…"

And the evening moved on into safer waters although Kate wondered what Lanie meant by 'over and done with' but dismissed it. Lanie could be obtuse at the worst times.

Loft

Castle paid for the pizza and gave the delivery guy a healthy tip for the speedy service. He noticed a business card in his billfold between two twenties and read the note on the back while he toyed with his dinner. His grin was the first since the crime scene.

He found his cell phone and called the number on the back and it went to voicemail so he left a brief message and then, suddenly hungry for the first time in days, tore into the greasy meat-lover pizza.

He settled back to watch a movie on Netflix that he'd never watch if Alexis were home. It wasn't that it was porn or anything. It was a syrupy and fluffy no-mind romantic comedy and Alexis would have razzed him throughout the movie so he watched it while she was at her party.

He answered his cell without checking caller ID and cringed waiting for one of the 12th 's detectives to begin raking him over the coals for his desertion and isolation.

"Castle." Terse. Put the caller on the defensive. Get on, get off, move on.

"Catch you at a bad time? I know it's late." A woman. A not Beckett, not Lanie, woman.

"Um, who is this?" There was no name on caller ID.

"It's Ann Smith from the – "

"Oh! Hey. I got your note and I think that's a great idea. Um, only problem is the monster plaster ball on the end of my right arm. Can't wear anything that wouldn't require major surgery to get it on."

Ann's note had boldly asked him to take her out for a drink. Something mousy Ann would never do but new and bold Ann felt comfortable doing.

"Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. Listen, there's a nude bar in the Village and we could meet there – "

"Wha-what?" Her laughter broke through the shock and he realized that she'd been joking, breaking the ice and making him feel comfortable just like in the ER.

"If you wouldn't think me too forward or slutty, I could drop by. Someone should check to make sure the Bone Guy put things back right. How are you handling the pain?"

"No pain at all. Well, the first couple of nights I woke up with a bloody nose but – "

"What! Rick, hang up the phone and get to a hospital. A bloody nose? Are you 12 or something? That's a sign of – "

"I guess I tried to scratch my nose or something. How soon can you get over here? I could use a drink and a friendly smart ass to trade barbs with. My daughter's at a party and won't be in until one o'clock so if you feel uncomfortable…"

"Um, I usually memorize the addresses of handsome men I want to drag out for booze and whatever but I screwed up and didn't memorize yours."

He gave her his address and she replied, "Twenty minutes. I'm just on the other side of the park from you."

She hung up and Castle suddenly went into high gear. Sponge bath, shave, clean clothes…other side of the park? How does an ER nurse afford one of those places?


	3. Chapter 3

**P/N: **Another chapter of Oldestman fun. JT

**Ann - Chapter 3**

Ann took a last look at her reflection in the full-length mirror and sighed. She was short and she envied the tall girls with their long legs and ability to wear those slinky creations the fashion designers seemed to mass produce. A sheath dress or (sigh) a bandage dress looked strange on her. Still, no one ever complained about what was under it all.

'_He's seen me in scrubs so anything that shows I do have a shape is a marked improvement.'_

She wore a black boot-length skirt with an interesting slit up the side and a crisp white Tuxedo shirt and her knee-high black leather boots that she'd had for ages but would never part with.

She walked quickly through the apartment checking to make sure things were as they should be, her boot heels clicking on the parquet floor. _'I really need to hire a service to clean and shop for me. I can handle anything else but with my hours…'_

Ann called down to the front desk and asked them to call her a cab and the joker said, "Okay, Mrs. Price, you're a cab," and chuckled.

"Julio, one of these days you're going to use that line with one of the residents who doesn't appreciate Groucho humor and you'll be out on your Puerto Rican ass – "

"C'mon, Ms. P – y'know you love it. You and me and the Marx Brothers, we're a team, y'know?" One day they had a long conversation while waiting for a cab and formed a friendship of sorts. He always seemed to be on duty when she called and always made her smile, no matter how bad the day was.

Castle called the front desk and told them he was expecting a visitor and to let her up without the usual call.

Ann hoped out of the cab and the doorman opened the door and told her that 'Mr. Castle is expecting you' without the hint of a smile or an attitude. _'Good staff means a well run building. Nice to know.'_

He keyed open the elevator and then used another key to send the elevator to the top floor and stepped out and wished her a 'good evening' and returned to his desk and his TV.

Castle had left the door open since he was still primping and Ann knocked and then stepped in. She liked what she saw. It was open and airy but sill maintained a homey air and from the furniture and gadgetry, an active one. She was looking at the row of framed photographs on the piano (_'A baby grand? I wonder who plays?'_) when he walked up beside her.

"My history in pictures." She jumped a bit, startled and he apologized. "It's not often I find an intruder who looks as beautiful as you do. It's nice to see you, Ann. Name your poison…" he gestured to the wet bar and walked her over to it.

"Whatever's good. How have you been? Should you be drinking while taking painkillers?" She took his hand with the cast and was examining the fingers, professionally. Moving each one gently, she asked, "Any pain when I do that?" and each time he shook his head. "And I'm not taking any painkillers. They make the world fuzzy and I can't write. Well, not with this, anyhow," holding up the cast.

She handed him a card and suggested he contact the orthopedist and have a fiberglass cast replace the plaster one. "Easier on the nose, Rick," she said, laughing.

"I have a question, Ms. Smith, and I'm dying to ask it." All sorts of things rolled through her mind. 'Why was she here? Did she always make house calls?', those kinds of things.

"Go ahead. I won't lie to you." Their eyes met and Castle had the oddest sensation that she couldn't lie to saver her soul so he asked.

"Is there really a nude bar in the Village because I thought I knew all the bars in the city…" He looked at her, one eyebrow raised and the hint of a smile on his lips.

"No, not that I know of. I do that, y'know? Throw out lines like that to test or shock people. I'm weird like that."

"When I do something like that all I get is an eye roll or a swat on the arm. I like people who do that, be spontaneous and curious about people and their reactions."

"Rick, I need to know something. You and the police lady, the one who called your phone and then showed up with a real attitude demanding things – she didn't stay long but…"

"I used to work with her. No, that's not a proper description. I followed her for inspiration about a new character I created. She's a homicide detective, Kate Beckett, and to answer the question you didn't ask so loudly, no, there's nothing between us. I'm not sure we're even friends like I am with the guys on her team."

"I had to ask. I figured it was probably something like that. I wouldn't have left you without knowing anything about your situation. She did, though. Not a criticism, Rick, just an observation. 'Used to work'?"

"I – I wanted one thing, she wanted nothing, so I quit shadowing after a particular case drove the truth home. So, can I ask the same question? Anyone special?"

"A husband. He passed away 4 years ago. We had 6 wonderful years together but I have a stepson who means the world to me. He's eighteen and so much like his dad…"

"Is that why you became a nurse?" There was always a story. Always.

"God, no! I was already a nurse when we met. One of his patients was brought in, a suicide attempt, and he came in to speak with her. I remember he brought his son with him because he couldn't find a sitter at 2am. It was love at first sight and despite the difference in our ages, we were happy, Rick, until he had a massive heart attack in the elevator going up to his office."

"I'm so sorry, Ann. So, tell me about your son. I have a daughter, Alexis, but I think we talked about her in the ER. She's 17 going on 40. She's the best thing in my life. I sometimes think they switched babies because she's nothing like her mom and nothing like me. She looks like Meredith but she's smart, articulate, a really decent person."

"Wait! Alexis…Alexis Castle?" She had an odd look on her face like she was deciding whether to laugh or –

He laughed. "No, she's Alexis Rodgers. I changed my name but I was smart and kept hers as Rodgers. It gives her some anonymity from the paparazzi."

"Does she have a boyfriend? Anyone she's dating?" Now she was trying to stop the smile that threatened to break out.

"Nope. We tell each other everything. That's something I love about her. Her openness and how much she involves me in her life."

The smile died on her lips and she started to say something but stopped. Instead she walked over to the piano and searched through the photos until she found one she was looking for but hoped not to find.

"Rick, um, this is my son's girlfriend, Alexis. They've been dating for about a year now. She's been to dinner at my apartment several times. Erik thinks the world of her and so do I. She's a wonderful girl and I hate that she hasn't shared us with you. I'm sure she has an excellent reason for not doing so."

"I had no idea…all those sleepovers at Paige's, the – " He looked devastated. The look in his eyes broke her heart.

"Rick, they've always been the model of deportment around me and my son does _not_ do 'sleepovers'. He has a curfew that is carefully – "

"Like when you're working the night shift at the hospital?" His voice carried accusations and she didn't like it one bit.

"We have a secure building, limited access and exits, and the staff is very protective of the tenants. They would call me in a heartbeat if he tried to slip out or if he came in outside of curfew. I pay out enough Christmas bonuses to ensure that."

For a small woman, she emanated an aura that clearly said 'don't fuck with me, buster!' and with her hands on her hips and a defiant set to her jaw, it was also emanating 'Danger'. Rick was impressed with her defense of both her son and his implied criticism of her parenting skills. His man-child thought, _'Man, she's so hot when she's riled up!'_

"Couples only fight about three things, Ann, money, sex and kids. Every dispute has its roots in one of those three things. I'm sorry. I wasn't accusing you or your son of anything. I guess I'm just upset with her for keeping secrets."

They were standing, him holding the framed picture of Alexis and her with a hand on his forearm and she whispered, "I'd never keep a secret from you, Rick," and reddened with embarrassment when she realized all the subtexts of her statement.

"So, what's next, 'make up' sex?" Now it was his turn to blush. "I'm sorry, that just popped out. Really, I wasn't implying – "

Ann stood on her tiptoes and leaned in and kissed him softly, and she felt his lips curl into a smile and she laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who throws out one-liners," she said when she broke the kiss.

"This could get awkward, Ann, are you sure – "

Another soft kiss, lasting for a few seconds more, and she sighed. "I didn't come over here for this but now that I'm here…awkward? Yeah, but I have the most interesting idea…" Castle had met his match. The woman was – devious – and he really liked her and wanted to see her again.

She left at 11:30 after another kiss at the door and his promise to meet her for brunch – with Alexis - on Sunday.

Kate rolled over and then sat up on the edge of the bed, his bed. She never spent the night at his apartment nor did he ever wake up to breakfast in hers. It was like their unwritten rule – 'Thou shalt not spend the night' and she liked it. It made it easier if a body dropped for her to leave his place and easier to kick him out (feeling a sense of purpose) when the call came when they were at her place. It worked the same for him and his emergencies.

"Leaving already, babe?" His sleepy voice that usually made her feel like cuddling up against him and breaking The Rule now seemed petulant.

"Yeah. Got to get in and run some leads down. Go back to sleep, Josh."

"Love you, Kate…" It wasn't said as an afterthought or anything else. It was a fact from his point of view. From hers, it was another nail in the relationship coffin. She'd only ever told Will Sorenson the dreaded three-word phrase and while she meant it, apparently career trumped love because he went to Boston and they ended because she wouldn't follow.

She leaned over and placed a sloppy kiss on his lips and warned him not to sleep in. She was gone in 10 minutes and when she got home to the sanctity of her own apartment she noticed that she'd buttoned up her shirt wrong in her haste to escape. _'Talk about signs_'.

She had the weekend off and she and Lanie were going to spoil themselves rotten with a manicure and then lunch and maybe a little shopping. There wasn't anything she really needed but a sale item that was useful wasn't to be ignored.

Loft

Alexis tiptoed into the loft, gently closing the door. She didn't want to wake her dad if he was sleeping on the couch. He was having a hard time sleeping and she wished he'd man up and take the painkillers the doctor had prescribed. She took the carafe of orange juice out of the refrigerator and poured a glass and sat at the island. There was an appointment card for an orthopedist on the counter.

'_Good. Maybe he'll get that wrecking ball off his arm and get one of those neat fiberglass ones like Margo Jensen had. Then he might even be able to write and stave off terminal boredom'._

She saw him out of the corner of her eye, asleep, sitting up on the couch. The blue light from the DVR made his face look older and more drawn and stressed.

"Dad, I'm home and you need to sleep in bed not here on the couch. I'm nearly eighteen and you don't need to wait up for me. It's not quite one o'clock and I'm heading up to bed."

"Hey, don't plan on anything for Sunday. We've been invited to brunch and I've already said 'yes'."

"DAD! You can't make plans like that without asking me first! I have plans for Sunday and it would be rude to cancel out at the last minute." She was going to brunch with Erik and his mom and she didn't want to cancel.

"In the future, I'll be sure and consult with you before accepting social invitations from _my_ friends, Alexis."

"I didn't mean it that way. I meant – "

"Sunday. 11ish. Casual dress. Bring an appetite and lose the attitude, young lady."

"Fine!" she huffed and rinsed out her glass in the kitchen sink and noticed the two glasses that were already rinsed. One was lightly stained with lipstick.

"Was Grams here, Dad?"

"No. She's still in Toledo as far as I know." He was still miffed at her attitude. Now he was more certain than ever that Ann's idea was a good one.

"Good night." _'That's not Grams' shade and he isn't in a funk about Beckett so…who was here?'_


	4. Chapter 4

**P/N: **Some more goodness from Tom. JT

**Ann - Chapter 4**

A body dropped Saturday so she and Lanie had to cancel out on shopping since they both had obligations to the victim but promised to get together Sunday for brunch and then a quick round of shopping.

Esposito and Ryan took their own sweet time about getting to the scene and she had sharp looks for both of them but mellowed when Espo mentioned his God Daughter's birthday and how he hoped this was open and shut because he didn't want to miss the party.

"Sorry. I guess we all got dragged away from something we'd rather be doing."

"Did you call Castle?" Ryan opened his mouth and shut it just as quickly after bringing up 'the name' that they hadn't mentioned lately. At least those two weren't. When he saw Lanie giving him a dirty look he thought, '_okay, make that three'._

"He's done with us, I guess. It's just as well. He was in the way more than he helped." _'Sour grapes, Katie,'_ said her mother's voice in her head. Lately it had been her mom's voice that scolded her rather than her own when she thought about things that had gone wrong.

Lanie glanced up at her and thought, _'Burning bridges. I smell burning bridges and she's gonna regret those words some day.'_ From the look on the boys' faces, she knew she was right.

Rick took a cab down to his tailor to have a few alterations made to some shirts and two suits and a sport coat. He wanted to dress 'normally' for his day-to-day activities and a Polo didn't cut it in his social circles.

"I'll have them ready for you before 5, Mr. Castle. You'd be surprised how common these alterations have become since the tunnel carpal syndrome thing. You're a writer so it was only a matter of time, y'know?"

If a tailor could dismiss the evidence of his stupidity, maybe others would too, although his temper was legendary among those who knew him. Just ask his ex-wives and their attorneys. It was Beckett who brought the physical to his anger; only she could get under his skin and drive him to a physical act.

Rick didn't answer his tailor, changing the subject quickly to safer ground. "So, Max, how's that granddaughter of yours doing at Yale?"

Much safer ground.

Central Park East

"Erik, I have to cancel out on Sunday, honey. My dad made plans for the two of us and we had a fight and I was ugly to him and now I feel bad so, I have this thing I have to do with him."

"Hey, Lexie, don't feel bad. My mom dropped a load of crap on me about college applications and stuff and the next thing I knew, I'd agreed to meet some stuffed shirt guy about a possible 'recommendation' to Columbia."

He sat on the top of a retaining wall overlooking a pond and she sat sideways with her long jean-clad legs over his, holding on to his hand and occasionally pulling her in for a leisurely kiss. Saturday afternoons were special and this place was theirs unless it rained or they went shopping or to a movie or something.

"Y'know, we talk more about our parents sometimes than we do about us. That's kinda weird but I really like your mom and sometimes I think 'what if Erik's mom and my dad got together?' That would be – "

"Really weird, Lexie, especially since you've never introduced me to your dad. I'm beginning to think you're ashamed of me or something."

He darted in for a kiss but missed when she leaned back, laughing. "No, dummy, it's just that, well, things have been intense with him lately but I think he's ready to meet you. He's finally quit shadowing Beckett and he seems, I don't know, more at peace with himself."

"That's cool. From what you've told me, he's been in some hairy situations and then there's that whole UST thing those two had going for them."

"I'll tell you a secret – she was never going to let him in. I mean, she's not the kind who could ever really accept my dad for who he is, y'know? Her kind always wants to be in control and my dad's the exact opposite, more like your mom, y'know?"

"Oh, I don't know. Ann can be really intense sometimes. She still cries herself to sleep some nights, especially around the holidays. I worry about going away to school and leaving her knocking around the Museum all by herself."

"Dad was like that for a while last summer but then we came back to the city – "

Soft lips stopped her from talking for a while and then he glanced at his watch and showed her the time.

"Crap! We really have to run to catch the next showing. I really want to see this movie, honey, and this is the last day…"

"Well then, Red, let's fly."

"Don't call me 'Red', Erik. You know how I hate that."

"You know what they call us around York Academy, don't you? Erik & the Red. You, my little redhead, are my Red Sonja and I'm your – "

She punched him lightly in the stomach and laughed and ran for the park entrance. They could grab the subway and catch the next showing. She'd make him pay for that comparison to Red Sonja. They'd watched it at his house one afternoon and he obsessed over the main character. Actually, she was flattered by the comparison but would never give him the satisfaction of knowing it.

Sunday

Rick and Alexis arrived by cab a few minutes before 11am. Alexis' attitude had not improved appreciably but Rick just hid a worried smile and wondered if this was really the wisest course of action to take. If Alexis had kept her relationship with Erik a secret, she must have had a damned good reason.

His mind was flipping through various scenarios that might explain why she kept it from him but none seemed to offer an explanation that stood the test of simple questions.

"Dad, are you okay? You seem, I don't know, more 'unfocused' that usual?" She didn't mean to sound so crabby but she would rather be with Erik and his mom than here with her dad and his 'snobby friends'. She just hoped it wasn't anyone from the 12th or from his poker crew_. 'Oh, crap, he wouldn't…he wou__ldn't use brunch as a way of introducing me to his new squeeze, would he?'_ He hadn't said anything about seeing any one new but…there was that glass with the lipstick stain…

Ann and her son had arrived a little before Castle and his daughter and she told the hostess to direct the 'Castle party' to her table and then walked out onto the verandah and sat at a table for four.

"Coffee, right? And a couple of those little pastry things you love to tide you over until your guests arrive?" He knew his stepmother. She had skipped breakfast and was probably working on low blood sugar and needed coffee and something sweet to keep her getting antsy. She wasn't big on 'brunch' preferring an Egg McMuffin and coffee when she ate breakfast at all. She was a simple girl with simple tastes.

"Sure, why not? It's not like intellectuals really care about anyone else's time. Go, fetch sustenance. There's a good boy."

They shared a laugh and he went to get coffee and pastries. Maybe if they got done here soon enough, he and Lexie could catch a movie or stake out their favorite wall in the park and scandalize the oldsters with a serious make-out session. He flipped open his cell and sent her a quick text.

Rick was checking with the hostess to see if Ann had arrived yet. Their plan was to have the first arrivals escorted to the others – a grand entrance of sorts. Alexis lagged behind checking her cell and sending back a quick text and then snapped shut her cell when her dad shot her a dirty look.

The hostess was escorting them through the maze of tables and out onto the verandah when she caught sight of a tall gangly figure wending his way through the people, two coffees and a plate of pastries balanced precariously. He made it look so easy. He made everything look easy.

She ran into her dad's broad back when he stopped suddenly and she stepped around to see why he'd stopped but –

"Mrs. Price?!" Erik's mom was in a lip-lock with her dad and obviously it wasn't the first one they'd shared either. Oh, crap!

Castle had been surprised and then tickled when Ann had looked up and spotted him and walked quickly over to him and pulled him down into a heated kiss by way of saying 'Hi'. She knew her son would probably see it and…she really didn't care. She could do this for hours and hours and… _**Mrs. Price!**_ pierced her bubble and she eased down Rick's front as he slowly set her down on her feet. She hadn't realized he'd picked her up. She was lost in his kiss.

"Hi, Lexie! Erik's off on a coffee run. Why don't we sit down and…" Oh, this was priceless. The look on Lexie's face…

"You were kissing my dad!"

"Mrs. Price? I thought your name was Smith?"

"Mom, who's this guy? Red?"

"Don't call me that, Erik. Back to kissing my dad…"

"Smith is my maiden name. I use it at the hospital. It saved a lot of confusion when my husband was alive. And yeah, Lexie, back to kissing your dad…I really liked that, Rick." The conversation was getting difficult to follow.

"Mom? This is the 'stuffed shirt' who's going to give me a recommendation? He's freaking Richard Castle! Wait – Alexis, _he's_ your dad? Richard Castle is your _dad_?"

"Let's let the kids sort things out, Ann. I hear the buffet calling." He eyeballed the tray Erik was balancing and said, "Surely that's not all you're going to be having, is it?"

"Girl's gotta watch her figure, Rick," she smiled and he just laughed. "I'll watch your figure for you, Ann. You eat. I'll let you know when you're losing your…um…"

"Think the kids have figured it out yet?" She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lexie and Erik sitting at the table talking.

"They're smart. Eventually they'll figure it out, Mrs. Price."

Rick carried their plates while Ann piled them both high with things she'd normally never eat but suddenly craved a walk on the wild side. _'He does that to me. Encourages my wild child to bust out and misbehave. That kiss…mmm.'_

"You do know that after eating all this we'll be in food comas for the entire afternoon?"

"Not if I have my way." She just had to get control of her mouth and her wild child that was currently bouncing from mental wall to mental wall in absolute exstacy at being allowed 'out' to play.

"Oh? And just what does M'lady have planned?"

"Dumping the kids, sending them to a matinee, and then going back to your place and making out on that lovely couch of yours…"

Castle's mind was racing, trying to remember his mother's schedule. "Um, that's a problem. I don't live alone. There's another woman in residence and I've been with her forever but…"

"What? Who? I thought you said you were divorced…"

"I am, really, I am, twice divorced. It's my mother. Her last husband cleaned her out and headed off to Rio or someplace like it. She was…she's an actress and about as organized and responsible…"

"Oh, well, in that case, as long as you whisper, we can hit the Museum."


	5. Chapter 5

**P/N: ** Another chapter from Tom. I only have three more chapters and the story is incomplete. Hoping for some more from Tom but not crossing my fingers. JT

Ann 5

Time passes and life goes on. Richard Castle maintained his estrangement from the 12th, finished his Heat series and was prowling around for a new topic if only to keep the Devourer of Flesh from tracking him down at the most inconvenient of times and tearing at his soft tender flesh in search of morsels in the form of chapters.

Roy Montgomery died defending his protégé and from what the papers had been able to piece together, it had been a glorious last stand. There had been an attempt on Detective Beckett's life at the funeral but other than flowers and a 'get well' text, he'd kept his promise to himself and stayed clear of the NYPD. And they stayed well clear of him, too.

Life leveled out for the Castle family and with the addition of Ann and Erik to their immediate circle, even Martha breathed a sigh of relief. He'd waited so long for the right woman to come along and they'd all thought that Detective Beckett was that 'right' woman but they'd been wrong.

Ann Smith Price obviously was head over heels in love with Richard Castle and made no bones about it, not even to her son, who at first was leery of and uncomfortable around the older man. All it took was one serious conversation in the dead of night to bring him into the fold, so to speak.

Erik and his mom were spending the weekend at the loft and Rick had waited in his office until he heard the younger man go to the kitchen and then he pounced.

"Erik, I need to know your intentions regarding my daughter. Obviously Alexis had good reason not to bring my identity into the Erik & Red mix, but that's not at issue here. I need to know where this is going. You're 19 and a freshman at Columbia and she's graduating this year and for some reason has chosen Columbia over Stanford and Princeton, imagine that."

"_I could ask you the same thing, Rick. Where's it going with Ann. She's been like my real mom and I don't want her to be hurt again, so I need to know, where is this going?"_

_They both answered at the same time in the same way: "I love her."_

The older man felt even older. His baby girl had her first true love affair and he could only hope she used discretion and that she came out of it still as sweet as she'd gone into it. He knew about young first loves: Kyra Blaine. He couldn't tell Erik 'stay away from her' because after September 2012, they'd be living in the same house.

The younger man was both relieved but concerned. If he loved her why hadn't he done anything about it? He asked that question and his answer came in the form of a small blue jeweler's box pushed across the kitchen island toward Erik. Tit for tat.

"_She wanted to be herself, Rick. She wanted to be just plain Alexis, not the daughter of the famous author, not the 'Castle kid', she wanted to enjoy just being 'normal' and she was so happy you'd let her stay 'Alexis Rodgers' so long ago. That's what she told me. She's really proud of you but she doesn't like the limelight. She wants her own star to shine."_

"_Will you be my best man, Erik?"_

"_Yes, of course. Will you allow Alexis to spend weekends at my apartment?"_

"_No," said with a father's finality._

That had been months ago and again time passes and events unfold, some good, some not so good.

Ann Smith Price hurried up 5th Avenue and cursed her decision to wear 4-inch heels when shopping. She had had a lunch meeting with her family attorney to make some last minute changes to her will and to ensure that her late husband's money passed directly to Erik without the need for probate.

The glint of light off the stone in the engagement ring Rick had shyly given her caught her eye at the exact same instant that the sniper's bullet tore through the shoulder of the woman walking in front of her and then lodged in the fleshy part of Ann's upper thigh knocking her down on the pavement.

She went into 'ER nurse' mode and crawled to the other victim and began basic first aid to control the bleeding. From her experience, she was very lucky. They both were.

12th Precinct

"Beckett, we've got two more sniper victims but they're both alive! Ann Smith Price, 34, a nurse at Manhattan South Trauma, and Debbie Hartz, 28, a bank teller on her way back to work from lunch. Ryan's handling the next of kin for Price, a son, a student at Columbia. Hartz is new in town and we're trying to contact people from her cell phone list but no luck so far. Uniforms and Forensics have secured the scene and we need to get rolling."

Beckett's hands clenched and she spun around in her chair and stared at the board. These were the third and fourth victims in a week and they had nothing at all to go on except cut up scraps from a painting of some kind. There was no connection between the victims. The shootings were totally random.

"Beckett? You coming?" Esposito knew the toll this was taking on his boss but they had a job to do. No one would say squat if she sat this case out. It was too damned close and she was beginning to show signs of what Esposito, war veteran and one-time PTSD patient, recognized.

"Yeah. Jesus, another shooting in broad daylight and no witnesses and – " Her cell rang and she answered, "Beckett".

"Kate, it's Ryan. I'm at the apartment of the next of kin of Ann Smith Price. Um, Kate, she's Rick Castle's fiance and Alexis Castle has tentatively confirmed – it's messy, Beckett and I think – I don't know what to do. I've never had something like this hit so close to home, y'know?"

'You think it's close to home? Imagine a sniper's bullet tearing through your uniform, tearing through your skin and bones and – '

Her thoughts were interrupted when Esposito took the cell phone from her nerveless hand and talked to his partner for a few seconds and then guided her back to her chair.

"Sit this one out, Boss. It's way too personal now. Call Burke. Tell him you need to talk. Call him or I will."

She nodded and then wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and nodded. "Yeah. I'll call Burke. Go pick up Kevin and take little Castle to the hospital. I'll call Burke. I promise."

Hollywood, California

Rick took the call from Alexis even though he was in a meeting with a hateful group of writers who couldn't even agree on the title for the second film of the Heat franchise.

"Hey, Pumpkin. What's up." He wasn't stupid. He knew that his little girl and his future stepson (how would that work out legally, he didn't know) had probably crossed from boyfriend/girlfriend to lovers and he tried valiantly not to jump to conclusions or to be unsupportive but still…

"Daddy, you have to come home right now! Rent a plane, buy it, I don't care but please come home…Ann's been shot and – "

"NO! No, no, no. You're wrong. It's someone else. It's not…oh, God. I'm coming home right now if I have to buy the damned airline. How's Erik…no, I know how he is. Just like me only he's worse. She's his MOM!" He felt the tears on his cheeks but couldn't be bothered wiping them away. The room had gotten quiet and someone sent a secretary for a doctor. It looked like he was having a heart attack.

Dr. Burke's Office

"One of the latest victims of the sniper shooting spree is Castle's fiance. From what I was told by Ryan, they've only been engaged a few months. He's flying in from California."

"He's been gone what, nearly two years and in all that time you've never talked with him, right?"

"He said 'always' but I guess I define the word differently. He left and never looked back, Dr. Burke."

"But you've never talked with him? Tried to find out why he left? Weren't you the least bit curious? From what we've talked about when Castle comes into the conversation you become very defensive and combative."

"It didn't matter why he left, he left. What part of that don't you understand? He cut us all out of his life and the next time I hear of him, it's because someone tried to shoot his girlfriend…"

"And I repeat myself, you never tried to find out why he left so abruptly? You never called him? You never stopped by his place, talked with his mother or daughter? Why not?"

"Why should I? HE barged into my life. HE made himself a part of my days. HE became an important part of my life. HE was my partner and HE promised me 'always' so why do I have to do shit?"

An abrupt change of topic knocked her off her stride and that was Burke's intention.

"So, how are you handling this case – the Sniper Shootings? It's what, four now?" He watched and there they were, classic signs: narrowing of the eyes, closing off the body to protect it, clenching of fists and –

"I'm handling it just fine, Dr. Burke. It's just another series of murders and we don't even know if the victims are connected. If there was just some commonality, some connection between the victims…" She'd drawn her feet up onto the leather couch, her bare heels almost touching her thighs and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs.

'Anyone is a target. I could be a target. He could have cross-hairs on me right now, through that window over there. No one is safe and no one knows when or where he'll strike next.'

She stood up suddenly and walked over and closed the blinds on the office's large window. "Sun was getting in my eyes."


	6. Chapter 6

**P/N: **I've heard from Tom and he's actually doing better. Seems that part of the problem was some really funky 'wormy' things that were missed and while they were overlooked, were really 'F'ing with him. A differant set of eyes found 'em and now they treating him for his 'visitors'. Looks like he's gonna get to see if the Mayans were accurate or just punking us. JT

**Ann 6**

NYC

Manhattan South Hospital

By the time Rick got back into the city, Ann had been transferred to a regular room and was sitting up and laughing with Alexis and Erik. She took one look at Rick and told them 'Out' and then held out her arms to him.

If she didn't have damaged ribs from her injury she probably would have. His embrace was crushing and she gasped, not in pain but in recognition of the agony he'd been going through since Alexis' tearful summons to 'come home'.

"H-hey, Rick, gotta breathe here," but she didn't let go of him for a second.

His grasp on her loosened but he buried his face in her neck and cried in relief. He'd called the NYPD but was told nothing about the nature or extent of her injuries, simply that she was one of two shooting victims on 5th Avenue and that she was in stable condition. It hadn't relieved him at all. He had a writer's imagination and it was in full working order and he'd imagined horrible scenarios during the 7 hours it took him to get from the studio offices to the hospital.

"Rick, hey, it's okay. I'm okay. I'll have a little puckered scar on my upper thigh but I'm better off than the poor girl who took the round initially. A GSW through-and-through. I just got the secondary impact and I'll be out of here in a couple of days."

He shuddered and said, still with his face in the hollow of her neck, "I keep forgetting you're an old hand at this 'getting shot' stuff, or at least describing it."

"Well, I'll have a damned sight more sympathy for the victim from now on. It hurts like a bitch, Rick, but now that you're here, I'm feeling better already. I just hate that you had to leave your meeting – "

He kissed her to shut her up. Meetings? No meeting would ever be more important that his family.

He heard someone at the room door clearing their throat and he broke off his assault and stood beside her bed anticipating some smart-assed comment from one of the kids but instead –

"I'm Detective Kevin Ryan, Ms. Price, and I just need you to read over your statement and give us your signature. Castle, how have you been?"

Professionally distant. It bothered Castle on one level but basically Kevin was just part of a time he'd rather put behind him. They'd been friends, no, make that 'acquaintances'. Friends would have seen the pain and the reason behind it and have understood but neither Ryan nor Esposito bothered. He wasn't 'Blue' and therefore beneath notice.

Ann read over and then signed the statement and Rick handed it back to Ryan. "Does that end her involvement? She was a victim not a suspect. I'm taking her out of the city the minute she can travel so if you need anything else, take care of it between now and then." His voice was polite but Ann noticed how cold his voice was and how she'd only heard him use that tone one other time and it hadn't been pretty.

Ryan recognized the tone and felt a moment of embarrassment. "No, sir. That's it. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Price and I wish you a speedy recovery."

He was gone a few seconds before she asked him the question that had been on her lips from the first second he'd spoken. "Is that one of the ex-friends from the 12th Precinct? One of Nikki Heat's 'boys'?"

"Yeah. And he's the nicer one. Look, I meant what I said. The instant you're able, we're outta the city. We'll go anywhere you want, to the Hampton house, Paris, anywhere but until they nail this psychopath, you're not setting one foot outside."

She knew not to argue with him when he was this stressed out but asked, "What about Alexis and your mom? And my job? I just can't - "

"Don't you wonder why there's a cop stationed outside in the corridor and why there are heavy drapes over your windows? It's not to keep out the sun, Ann. It's so he can't finish off what he started. He failed to make his kill and he's going to up the ante."

12th Precinct

Kevin got off the elevator and made straight for Esposito and then dragged him into the break room for some private talk.

"Castle was at the hospital and it was like I was shit under his shoes. He was so damned cold and distant. He didn't even respond when I asked him how he'd been. I don't know why he left but I'll bet you dollars to donuts that Beckett shoved it into him and then broke it off."

"Let it go, Ryan. Not our problem. He left us and now he's just Joe Citizen, nothing more. He never called us or even said goodbye. Let it go. I have."

He really hadn't but then again he knew more than Ryan did about the 'why' of his departure. Lanie had filled him in on some stuff and then told him about a conversation she'd had with Castle one night at the Old Haunt when he'd come in with some business people and sat at the bar while they were enjoying a post-case drink.

"_Hello, Castle. Remember me?" _

"_Hello, Dr. Parish. I haven't seen you in what? Nearly two years. How have you been?" _

_Lanie said he'd turned to the bartender and told him that the lady's drinks were on the house and the bartender told him they always were since the first time they'd come in. "They're your friends, Rick. They never have to pay. Your rule. They're in here a lot."_

"_Rick, come over and say 'hello'. You know everybody and we can catch up and – "_

"_No, I didn't come here tonight to talk about old times with people who drink for nothing but haven't the courtesy of a nod. You think I'm blind as well as stupid? She's still with that asshole and from where her hands are…look, it was nice seeing you but you're going to have to find another place to get free booze. I'm selling the place."_

_Lanie said he turned to the guy he was with and told him 'One point six mil and it's yours. Send the papers to my attorney if you agree. That's my last word on it. I didn't realize I was watering the NYPD on the cuff. Glad to be rid of it."_

_He got up and walked out, never looking back. Lanie walked back and told the people at the table what he'd said and then asshole Motorcycle Boy had popped off about how the booze was probably watered down anyhow and Beckett didn't say a word but her hands were back on the table and her gaze was on his departing back._

They never went to the Old Haunt again but not because the liquor wasn't free. It was because they felt ashamed that they'd taken advantage of him. At least Lanie, Ryan and he did. He couldn't figure Beckett's motivation out at all.

Summer House

Easthampton, Long Island

He babied her, insisted on carrying her instead of letting her walk from the car to the house. "Rick, put me down. You can play he-man on our wedding night but I need to exercise the leg, sweetheart."

He'd fussed over her and the kids until Alexis finally told him to take Ann to the Hamptons and she and Erik would be safe at his apartment. Her grandmother was on the road again with a touring company.

"You promise no funny business, Alexis? Pinkie swear?" He was serious. There was nothing more sacred between them than a 'pinkie oath' and neither of them had ever broken a promise made under the Sacred Covenant of the Pinkie.

She looked over at Erik and mouthed 'sorry, babe' and then held up her baby finger and said solemnly, "I pinkie-swear it, Daddy." Her oath given, she felt like a weight had descended on her. She and Erik hadn't been exactly screwing like rabbits but they did tend to let things go on the rare occasion she permitted it but now… _'Damn you, Daddy! Just call me 'Sister Alexis'_.

She brightened up considerably, however, once she realized that only _some_ things were off the table.

In the end, they caught the sniper and Esposito got a commendation for taking him out. Nothing was ever said about the meltdown that Detective Beckett suffered. It was swept under the carpet but she was sent back to mandatory therapy and had to surrender her firearm to the new Captain until such time as she got a 'clean bill' from the department therapist.

Being desk-bound made her difficult to deal with and her team kept their distance. Her therapy sessions finally made some headway into the whole 'love-hate' relationship she'd suppressed for years. Her resentment of her mother came boiling out during one session and it was major breakthrough and she got her 'clean bill' once again.

She continued her therapy sessions until they got into her inability to sustain a loving relationship and then she chucked the whole 'head shrinking crap' and refused to keep her next three appointments.

"Detective Beckett? My office, please." Iron Gates didn't just summon people to her office. She _commanded_ their appearance.

"Yes, sir?" Kate stood uneasily in front of the new captain's desk. She missed Montgomery so much…

"I want to talk about your solve/closure ratio. In the past two years it has steadily deteriorated and I need to know if I need to make changes to your team, perhaps bring in fresh blood?" She had another in mind when she said 'fresh blood'.

"We've had some weird cases that we just couldn't crack, not the run-of-the-mill kind that the other teams seem to catch." She said it in defense of her team but they'd all spoken about it amongst themselves. No one liked losing the top spot to Karpowski.

"You're the A-team, Detective. You get the weird and hard ones, but not for much longer. Step up your game or I'll have to reorganize the units, maybe bring in fresh blood, new eyes and ideas, like when you had that writer shadowing you. That's when your performance numbers really started to shine."

Beckett nearly choked on her coffee. _'Castle? She thinks Castle made…no, no fucking way!'_

"Sir, with all due respect, I think that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say! Castle was an, an impediment. Castle was a, a thorn, a nine-year-old on a sugar rush. He was a friend of the Mayor and that's the only thing he had going for him. He was just a civilian cop-wannabe."

"How about when he pulled you out of a burning apartment? The freezer incident? The dirty bomb thing that no one talks about? Ring any bells, Detective? This discussion isn't over but you need to think long and hard about what piss-poor excuses you bring to the table when the historical evidence indicates otherwise. You're dismissed."


	7. Chapter 7

**P/N:** Another chapter from Tom. Hopefully we'll be lucky and he'll finish this one for us. JT

**A/N: **These scenes are not necessarily contemporaneous. Please keep that in mind when reading. Tom

**Ann 7**

Summer House

Easthampton, Long Island

She snuggled deeper into the heating pad that she knew was really her future husband and new best friend, Rick. He was so warm and he smelled like a man, not some geisha-guy with all-encompassing attitudes about damned near everything depending on the company.

With Rick, what you saw was exactly what you got – an open friendliness that sheathed a fiercely protective nature towards his friends and family, especially family.

"Hey, Rick, you awake?" She spoke into his chest, not wanting to change positions ever again in her entire life.

"I am now…again? Do you have any idea how old I am?" His voice rumbled in his chest and yes, she did want to 'do him again' but she had questions and she wanted answers.

"Tell me about your time at the 12th. Tell me about Beckett and tell me why you salted the earth between you and the NYPD. I was there for the aftermath but…I just can't shake the feeling that I don't have all of you, Rick, that _she_ still has a part of your heart that's rightfully mine and mine alone."

"What time is it, Ann?"

"What difference does it make? I just – " but he cut her off saying, "If it's close enough to breakfast then I want coffee and food, if not, then a drink. I won't talk about this in our bed, Ann. I will not sully what we have with who I was back then. Take it or leave it because it's a one-time offer."

"You just want me to make you my world-famous Nude Chef omelet and hash browns, don't you? Okay. I'll cook and listen. You watch and talk."

"Wear clothes this time, Ann, please? And it better not be 'world famous', woman." Somehow a nude Ann cooking in his kitchen just drove him insane. They'd barely made it through breakfast the first few times she'd pulled her 'Nude Chef' act.

She kissed him lightly and whispered, "Only for you, Rick, only for you." She jumped out of bed knowing that this was headed toward another round of 'Rick does Ann, and how!' and she wanted answers to those nagging questions plaguing her peace of mind. Later, they could catch up on the years they'd missed.

Josh Davidson's Condo

2am

"Leaving so soon?" He'd felt her pull free from him and it woke him. Lately 'pulling free' was something she'd done more and more. He couldn't put a finger on it but it had something to do with whatever happened at the Old Haunt and when she and her friend, the ME, had had a 'girl's night'. The sex was still awesome but he wanted more than sex. He wanted the intimacy he'd had in other relationships in the past and was sorely lacking now.

"Yeah. Got to get started early. Gates is on my ass about our solve ratio and is threatening to change the team up in order to get the numbers back up. She's nothing more than a numbers bureaucrat. Montgomery would have understood and given us support, not ultimatums to bring in 'new blood'. Gotta keep the numbers up, y'know? It's the new normal. Forget about the victims. Forget about how we always get the hard ones. Oh, no, just worry about the damned numbers!"

She slammed her foot into her boot and felt the zipper give. She hadn't unzipped it enough and now the zipper was busted.

"God DAMN him! The sonovabitch is still mucking things up and he isn't even here! How dare she suggest HE was the reason we stood out from the others! She wasn't there. She has no idea what it was like putting up with him. All she reads is the reports and the damned numbers!"

Josh sat up and paid attention. She was sitting there holding her ruined boot and almost in tears. He'd seen her angry but this Kate Beckett was new. She was giving voice to feelings that had lay dormant, festering beneath the surface, and now they were out there for anyone to recognize if they had half a brain. And he was very, very smart.

"He's always here, too, Katie. Right here in this bed. His ghost lies between us and I'm tired of it. This isn't working. I give and give and you take and take, but only if it pleases you. You're selfish, self-centered, an arrogant woman who wants things her way or it's no way at all. I'm right and you know it. I can't compete with a ghost. I'm done with it. We need to face facts: we are not working and I want more and you don't."

"What the hell are you talking about? Just because I won't say 'I love you' doesn't mean I don't! I need time to – "

"Two years is time enough. I'm tired of waiting for you to fall out of love with him. It's not going to happen and I'm not waiting any longer. Y'know what's really funny, Katie? You don't have a single item that's yours in my entire condo. Not one. That's the extent of your commitment to a relationship. I have nothing of yours, just three photographs and those were candid. We don't date, we fuck. I need more. Leave your key on the kitchen counter on the way out."

NYPD Morgue

ME's office

"He said what?" Lanie was sipping coffee and listening to Kate's telling of what had happened the previous night. It didn't come as much of a surprise to her. Josh Davidson was a catch but she hadn't bothered reeling him in, just played him like a fish.

"He said he needed more and that I was self-centered and arrogant and wanted things on my terms and that I wasn't committed to our relationship. The bastard even brought Castle into it. It's been two years – how dare he even suggest – "

"Yeah, Kate, how dare he suggest the truth? You aren't committed to any relationship and haven't been since Will Sorenson if you're really honest with yourself. You keep your men on a string and then when you get tired of them wanting more or when things get too serious you cut them off or push them away or 'absent yourself' from their lives."

"You sound like Burke. 'Kate, you can't commit to anyone until you commit to yourself'. What bullshit! And Gates is on my ass about the numbers and even suggested bringing someone like Castle back to give the team new perspective! Castle! As if he was anything but a nuisance - "

"A nuisance who saved your life a few times and yes, brought a new perspective to your cases and a certain joy to your life. Admit it, Beckett, you're hung up on a guy you couldn't keep on that string of yours. Now, go to work. I've listened to this enough to know I'm right and you're deaf, dumb and blind – and too late."

Summer House

Easthampton, Long Island

Ann sat, mesmerized by the story he was telling. He made it a story instead of a mere recitation of facts and that made it especially personal to her. He was spinning her a tale of unrequited love that had been replaced slowly but surely by a relationship with a short but feisty dishwater blonde who kept her big mouth shut at the right times. He wove an intricate tale of a love rejected and then sullied and of a love that sprang up from the ashes and blossomed until it brought them to the present.

"Wow! I thought you wrote well but believe me, if they ever decide to bring back Skalds and Sagas, you're a natural. You almost had me feeling sorry for her, Rick, and she's the last person I feel anything at all for."

"She's not as bad as I've painted her. I'm sure there are good qualities I've overlooked in my tale but the important thing was to convey that the only part of my heart you don't have belongs to Alexis so you, my little Nude Chef, have [kiss] nothing [kiss] to worry about [fondle and grope and kiss]."

She loved his punctuation and since it was still dark outside, she scraped away the food from the dishes and rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher.

"Bed, Rick. I need to do a cardiac inventory again. I think I miscounted somewhere. Thanks, sweetheart, for setting me straight."

12th Precinct

Cpt Gates' office

"Sir, I've been thinking and I think maybe you're right. We do need another perspective on some of our cases and a mystery writer is just the ticket to give us the 'story' that will bring things into line. I've got just the man for the job, too."

"NOT Richard Castle. I already asked the Chief of Detectives who kicked it to 1PP who 'suggested' it to the Mayor who was told by Mr. Castle to…never mind. I'm sure you get the picture."

"No, not Castle. One of his protégés. He's already on the books and has the paperwork complete. It'll just take a day to bring it all up to date and then we'll see if your idea has merit."

"Who is this mystery writer-man?"

"Alex Conrad. I've got his number in file and I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to assist us…with your permission, of course."

"Go ahead. It can't hurt. I'll be watching and if it doesn't pan out, we'll go back to my original plan and reorganize the units."


	8. Chapter 8

**P/N: **Another blast from Tom and I've been lucky enough to see what he wants to do with the rest of the story and...wow! It's gonna be a fun and bumpy ride. Keep your fingers crossed, kiddies...he's got a hell of a ride planned and I really hope he shares! Keep on slapping those keys, Tom...we need the words. JT

**Ann - Chapter 8**

Alex Conrad was in Chicago at a convention and Beckett was forced to leave a voicemail on his cell that Castle's publisher had provided. She debated calling Gina Cowan but there was such enmity between the two of them that she put it off before finally swallowing her pride and asking for help in contacting Alex regarding a possible stint as a ride-along or a consulting 'shadow'.

Beckett didn't know it but the moment Castle split with the 12th Gina lost all dislike for Kate Beckett. It had been pure jealousy. She couldn't have him but didn't want anyone else to have him either. Now since neither woman could possess him, they could be friends, fellow sufferers from the woes of the dreaded 'Malaise Castle'.

Castle Summer Home

Easthampton, Long Island

"I have to go back to work Monday, Rick. I wish I didn't but I do. We'll still have the nights and – "

"Quit. I want you all the time, not just at night. We're getting married and you really don't need to work anyway. We're both 'comfortable'."

"Rick, I like what I do. It's an important part of my life just like writing is an important part of yours. It's my purpose. Besides, I don't want you getting bored with me."

"Bored? Never. Let's compromise – go back after the honeymoon. You'll be all tanned and fit and the envy of the other nurses. You have convalescent time coming and you still limp sometimes when you're tired and you'd be exhausted after a normal 8-hour shift. What happens after 12 hours?"

She knew he was right. Her leg still ached after being on her feet for too long and she really did dread the stress and strain of being on her feet most of a shift. She caved easily.

"Honeymoon? We haven't talked about where we're going. I'd like to see the Grand Canyon. We could go on one of those guided trips down onto the Canyon floor."

"Fiji. I want to go to Fiji. Rent a seaside villa and then admire your vanishing tan lines. Or Greece or Eilat on the Red Sea. Someplace we never dream of seeing."

"Fiji? Oh, yeah! We can surf and tan and fool around and have a wonderful week in the sun."

"Month. A wonderful month. Or longer if you prefer. We could take a week in Fiji then fly to Australia and dive the Barrier Reef and then work our way slowly back home. We could fly into Los Angeles and then drive through the desert and tour the Canyon."

_Why not? We're young and free and it's not like I won't have a job whenever I decide to go back. _

"Rick, I want a baby soon. Maybe I could go back to work after Little Ricky's in preschool? You're right. Let's live a little. A month? Why not two? Just promise me that we won't wait forever to have a baby, Rick. I want one if you – you _do_ want kids, right?"

His eyes had glazed over and he had a small smile on his face. A son? Another daughter? He didn't care. "Yeah, I want to have kids with you. I never thought I'd get the chance again being old and crotchety and alone."

"Kids? Let's hope for one, Rick. I'd be satisfied with a little Ricky to spoil."

"A little Ann. A girl. Girls are easier than boys until they're 15 or so. A girl just like you. Feisty and petite and – "

"I'll need to go off the pill and get my OB/Gyn to make sure the plumbing's in order but yeah, a little girl so Lexie can be 'Big Sis' and Erik can spoil the hell out of her. Be good practice for when they have kids of their own."

"I'm not ready to be 'Grandpa' yet. And Mother is so not up for being Great Grams."

"Let's get the planning for the honeymoon out of the way before we get too far into grandparent stuff. We'll need to have plenty of practice before we actually try and knock me up, baby. Lots of practice."

Practice makes perfect.

Crime Scene

7th and Hanover

2:30AM

"Hey Lanie. Whatcha got for us?" Beckett pulled Alex Conrad along by his coat sleeve. Apparently waking up to the smell of a dumpster behind a restaurant wasn't something he was used to. He was breathing through his mouth and she almost laughed in his face. He wasn't Cas –

'_Stop it. He never barfed at a crime scene but that doesn't mean Alex isn't up to filling his role. He's smart, articulate and cute and he doesn't keep pushing and pushing at me to be 'more'. He'll come around. Got to give the kid time is all.'_

The 'kid' was her age. She'd have to be careful she didn't refer to him that way. The boys were already undecided about the new 'writerboy' with Esposito leaning heavily towards 'no way' while Ryan was trying to create a bond that was too soon to expect.

Compared to 'him', Alex was a virgin and she needed to take care of him, lead him down the path to solutions, teach him how to build theory and think outside the box. If nothing else, the young novelist would gain an appreciation of the shoes he had to fill. 'He' came ready to work whereas Alex was a work-in-process.

"The victim is a white male of undetermined age. The face is…gone and so are the fingertips so we'll need to depend on dental records and DNA. Cause of death is undetermined at this time as is the TOD timeframe. He was killed elsewhere and – "

"Excuse me, Dr. Parish, but how do you know he was killed elsewhere?" The question that interrupted her litany irritated her. Castle had been a class act whereas Junior Writer Boy was ignorant and arrogant. No one interrupted her, not even the detectives.

"Alex, hush. Let Dr. Parish finish and then I'll go over the obvious signs. In the meantime, listen, observe and learn. It's an art that takes time to master and Lanie is the best at what she does," she said gently. A little kissing of ass would go a long way toward lessening Lanie's resentment of Castle's 'replacement'.

"Um, sorry, Dr. Parish. Please continue." He blushed deeply and ignored the snicker from one of Lanie's assistants. He swallowed rapidly to keep from soiling the crime scene with his vomit.

Lanie noticed Kate's hand on Conrad's forearm and rolled her eyes. Yep, Beckett was going to force this kid down their throats and make it work if it killed both of them.

Four days later

"Now remember, stay behind me and don't get in the way. I'd tell you to stay in the car but it defeats the purpose of you being here so stay behind me, listen for our instructions and stay out of the way. And tighten that damned vest, Alex. It's flopping around on you like it's your big brother's or something."

"He was bigger than me. The straps are as tight as they get," he whined. Beckett had kept Castle's custom-made 'Writer' bulletproof vest in the trunk of her car and threw it at Alex when they arrived at the site of the takedown – a dingy motel almost out of their jurisdiction. She was impatient to take down this monster and get another animal off the streets – and close another case. It was dark and it had rained most of the day but did little to break the hold summer had on the city. The humidity was incredible and they were all sweating in their vests.

Ryan trotted up to them wearing his vest and said that Esposito was around back of the motel checking for a rear exit 'like through a window'. They'd already confirmed with the motel clerk that their target was in his room with a hooker. That made things easier and more complicated.

"Look, Alex, stay behind me and don't get in the way. This is easy. We just ID ourselves as NYPD and then the ESU boys take down the door with the ram and we rush in and make the bust. Just – please, Alex – stay way behind us. You're not used to how we operate and – "

"Maybe I should just wait in the cruiser, Kate." He was obviously nervous and uncertain. This was not a situation he ever expected to find himself in but…it was for his craft and his Muse.

"No! This is an important part of what we do and if we're to be partners, you have to experience all of it. You'll be fine, sweetie." Her hand was gripping his forearm and gentling him toward the motel and their target. Ryan saw how reluctant Conrad was but didn't say anything. He'd been scared shitless his first time 'through the door'.

They were in position a few minutes later and when Esposito banged his fist on the door and shouted "NYPD – Open Up!" she felt Alex tense up and start to step back but she held onto his sleeve. The two burly ESU tactical specialists slammed the heavy ram against the doorknob and the heavy steel door slammed open, the 'security chain' hanging by its clip.

There was a scream from the hooker and then the team rushed in. Alex stood in the doorway silhouetted against the lights from the parking lot and their suspect took a shot at him, missing his head and hitting the metal doorframe.

Conrad yelled in fear and surprise and Kate instinctively turned to check on him and was shot in the back but her vest protected her from injury but not from the energy of the impact. She was knocked into Conrad and both fell back in a tangle of arms and legs.

Esposito and Ryan quickly disarmed their suspect and while Ryan read him his Miranda rights, the hooker took off out the door wrapped in a sheet and carrying her purse. She tripped over the Beckett/Conrad entanglement and fell face first on the asphalt parking lot, busting her nose and lip and she rose up onto her knees screaming 'Police Brutality' at the top of her lungs.

Beckett was caught in a full-blown panic attack and was pummeling Conrad on the chest and yelling, "Let me go, damn it, Castle!" Conrad had wrapped his arms around her when she ploughed into him and she was panicking.

"Beckett, it's okay!" Esposito pulled her off Conrad and she turned into the familiar voice and wrapped her arms around him and began crying into his vest. They weren't the arms she wanted to hold her but they'd do.

Ryan turned their prisoner over to two uniforms for transport and offered Conrad a hand up. "Just another day at the 12th, Alex! Welcome aboard."

The hooker was holding the sheet against her face and screaming that she'd been 'beaten by the cops' but witnesses would later testify at a review board that she'd tripped and fallen. One of the uniforms told her to 'get your crap out of the room before I write you up for prostitution' and that ended her screaming. She didn't want jail time. She had to earn a living. She would file a report and see how much the city would cough up to keep the scene out of the papers.

Kate sat on the floor outside Dr. Burke's office leaning against the heavy oak door. It was 7:45 and she'd been there since 5:30, drinking one of her two cups of coffee she'd bought at a bodega down the block. She'd fallen asleep sometime during the early morning and that was how Burke found her.

"Kate…Kate Beckett, c'mon in and let's talk about why you're here and not at your apartment getting ready for work…"

"I screwed up. I drove him away and now I don't have anyone to lean on, to look to for support and understanding. What am I going to do, Dr. Burke?"

"Ah, Kate? I thought the cardiac surgeon was out of the picture. I know it's been quite a while since last we talked. I guess we have a lot to catch up on."


	9. Chapter 9

P/N: Here's some more Oldestman goodness. Yep, the crotchety old bastard is still with us and the world's a little better for that. He just passed this along to me and, except for a couple of break markers, it's exactly as it was when I first got it. If you're enjoying this story, buckle in because he's told me a little of what he's got planned and it should be a wild ride. Don't be afraid to PM Tom…sure he'll 'yell' at me about all the notes but I'm willing to take the heat as long as he's around to bitch about the attention. JT

A/N: Jaytoyz, make sure the readers know that several months have passed between the last chapter and this one. I don't feel much like going into detail about the wedding, honeymoon and Beckett's day-to-days during the same time period. Suffice to say, she's back into therapy and her captain has a watchful eye on her as does her team after she wigged out at the motel take-down.

Oh, yeah, she's screwing the writer boy whenever they find a flat surface, bound and determined to recapture what she had wanted with Castle but never admitted to herself until it was too late. In fact, she never admitted it at all.

**Chapter 9**

"He should have waited! He should have known how I felt. We had a connection, a gestalt, a – a _partnership_. He said 'always' and I believed him, Dr. Burke. God help me, but I thought I'd always have him and that eventually I could trust him with my heart but…"

Burke wanted to reach across the room and slap Kate Beckett for being such a self-denying yet selfish woman. Sure, she'd been hurt by Sorenson and Royce but that had been long ago and she admitted that Castle had been nothing like either of the two men she'd fallen in love with only to have her heart broken.

Sometimes he almost wished she'd stayed away after she'd passed her re-instatement requirements. Her 'issues', that weren't directly related to her shooting, were buried under layers of denial, obfuscation and outright lies. For one of the few times in his long career, he felt like he might not be the best therapist for this particular patient. Her whining and moaning and blaming everyone but herself was beginning to irk him on a personal level.

"Kate" Burke said, interrupting her mid-rant, "I don't think I can help you. I want you to see another therapist who might be more understanding. I've got a list of several colleagues, most of whom are women by the way, for you to consider. Perhaps a session with each would help you to make a selection."

He handed her the typed list and she recoiled like it was a snake or something.

"NO! You've helped me so much with the whole PTSD and sniper thing and I feel like I can be open with you since you don't judge me."

"Open? Do you really believe you're being 'open'? You refuse to discuss your feelings for Castle and – "

Beckett's temper flared and she spun to glare at the seated man, hissing out between gritted teeth, "There was no relationship. I was with Demming and then Josh and the only relationship we had was as colleagues and friends. I've told you everything – "

" - Except why you can't let Castle go, Kate!" His own temper flared and he immediately took a deep breath before attacking her slip of the tongue in a much calmer voice.

"I never said 'relationship', Kate. You did. Let's talk about why you're so upset when you didn't even bother contacting him after the incident at the alley crime scene. Oh, and just so you know, the famous Castle temper flared up early that morning and he apparently punched something unyielding and broke bones in his hand according to his medical records from Manhattan South Trauma. I requested the records but it took a letter from the Board to release them to me because he isn't my patient."

She paled and then whispered, "He got married. It was in the paper. He married that damned – " she took a deep breath that caught in her throat. "What am I gonna do? What's going to happen to me? He didn't wait. He said 'always' but he just wanted to get in my pants, score and – "

"Stop it, Kate! _You_ were with someone else almost the entire time Castle worked with you. How do you think he felt working beside you, facing danger with you, saving each others lives, and then seeing you at the end of the day with those other guys? Put yourself in his boxers and look at it from his perspective. I doubt Castle's a mind reader but didn't you ever – no, I don't even need to ask the question, do I? You never told him to wait, did you? You never gave him a reason to hope."

She shook her slightly bowed head and her long hair shielded her from the psychiatrist's close scrutiny.

"You told me you never loved Demming and dumped him for Castle but he'd already moved along a bit with the ex-wife, so you hooked up with the cardiovascular surgeon and look how long that lasted. Until he asked you for a commitment, isn't that right?"

He watched her nod her head. He could tell she was crying silently and so he handed her the box of Puffs.

"Kate, unless you want to help yourself, unless you want to find out what's wrong, I can't help you. You've become a dancer in this office, putting on a good show but gliding around the questions we both know you need to ask yourself. I think that's all for today. In fact, unless the next time you come here you tell me that you want to open up these issues, I think you should save the taxpayers' money and just go to work each day."

**Manhattan South Trauma Center**

"Sir, you can't go back there!" the uniformed patrolman said as he manhandled Castle to the floor, trying to be as gentle as he could since he knew who he was and why he was there.

"Please…please….please, I have to see her" Rick begged,his voice broke on his tears and he could hear voices that he knew trying to calm him down.

"Castle, bro, you can't see her yet. The ME is doing her thing and then the forensics people need to survey the scene. It's pretty cut and dried – uh – I mean – " Esposito said as he took over from the patrolman.

A softer voice spoke directly into his ear. "If they let you up, you have to promise to respect my crime scene, Castle. You're just a civilian here and the rules apply to you just like anyone else."

Beckett was torn between wrapping Castle in her arms and holding him while he cried for another woman or being Detective Beckett.

Cop trumped former friend.

"Fine. Let me up. I'm fine now. I'm in control. I – I have to make some calls…Eric and Lexie and…and…"

Ryan grabbed Castle by the upper arm and with his partner, helped him stand and then led him down the crowded hallway to the ER waiting room that had been cordoned off from the public.

"Do you know what happened, Kevin? All they told me was that she was caught in some gangbanger crossfire and was killed. What happened?" Rick Castle asked in a pleading voice.

The funeral was a somber affair, just as it should have been. There were quite a few people from the hospital, of course, and several who'd known Ann and felt compelled to attend out of respect. And then there were the paparazzi…

"Rick!" his stepson of too little time said as he tried to hold him back from punching the photographer again.

"Dad" his daughter pleaded as she hung on to his arm while glaring at the man who had stuck a camera in Erik's face and shouted questions.

"God damn you fucking vultures! Get the hell out of here!" Castle took another step forward, dragging Erik and Alexis along with him. The photographer just smirked and backpedaled, taking another rapid series of pictures.

"Hey," yelled the photographer when Esposito snatched the camera from his hands and popped out the data stick and snapped it between his fingers.

"Move along. I'm a cop and you're trespassing on private property. I would love to bust your ass so go ahead, _touch_ me." He shoved the photographer away from him and tossed him his camera.

"C'mon, Castle. Let's get the kids out of here." He grabbed Rick by the shoulder and led him to the area where the funeral home limousines were waiting for them. He leaned in and whispered, "You need to ease off the booze, Castle. The kids don't need a drunken sot. They need a strong man to hold them together. Ann would have slapped you silly for pulling this crap…"

Castle fell to his knees and started to cry, unable and unwilling to control his grief. He didn't care what anyone thought. He didn't care about anything anymore.

"I see from the papers that you and Ryan went to Ann Castle's funeral?" Beckett's tone was cool and nonjudgmental.

"Yeah. We felt we owed it to him. She was his world, Beckett, and some dirt bag gangbanger took her away from him."

Beckett took a sip of her coffee to hide the frown on her face. Once _she_ had been his world but she'd been too stubborn and scared to acknowledge it.

"We'll give Castle some justice. Just – just don't let him get involved with it, okay? He's not to be a part of this. He's too close to – "

"I don't think he's sober enough to tie his shoes, Beckett." That comment earned him a glare from Beckett. Esposito didn't even blink.

"You should have smelled him at the cemetery. It was a wonder he could walk, let alone give a cogent and emotional eulogy, but he did. It wasn't until the paparazzi got into the act that he let himself 'feel' anything at all."

Kate took another sip of her cold coffee and grimaced. She should have gone to the funeral but somehow she'd made excuses for herself. Her father had gone in her stead. She needed to call him and talk about it.

"I'll talk to Gates. Pull the crime scene packet and let's get moving."

P/N:2 - Hope you enjoyed.


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